According to research by the Journal of Clinical Psychology there’s a 64% percent chance that if you made a New Year’s Resolution you’ve broken it by now.

Step away from the chocolate cake and no one gets hurt.

If you are feeling smug right now you must be among the Righteous 36%. You are bravely soldiering on through gritted teeth in the face of extreme temptation to eat the cookie, or skip the gym, or miss the daily Bible reading. If that is you, don’t get too proud. The future is not looking good. Forbes.com says that just 8% of New Year’s resolutions are intact on December 31st. EIGHT PERCENT!

 A few years ago I was visiting Southern California. I was in Palm Springs, famous for its mid-century glamor and its classic Hollywood chic. You can almost feel the ghosts of the celebrities from the 1950s moving through the town. And while I was there, I visited a street market full of stalls, selling things I didn't even know I needed, like glass pebbles that burn, making a cool centerpiece on your dinner table, fashion accessories for your dog, $400 sweaters.

But what really filled me with awe and wonder was a product that didn't just take the biscuit, it stole the entire trivia baker. Spray on mud, fake mud that comes in an aerosol that you apply to your SUV to make it look like you take it off road for 14.95 A can. You will never again feel embarrassed by your spotless SU Subaru forester. No longer will your outdoorsy neighbors smugly shake their heads at you because you only drive it down the shops. Now you can make them think. You drive it up and down the mountains every weekend. What's that saying about consumerism buying things we don't need with money?

There will be no Welcome Course on Sunday, January 18 due to the Annual Parish Meeting and Vestry Elections being held at 9 a.m. in the Parish Hall. The class will resume on January 25.

St. John's giving statements for 2025 will be available for pickup on Sunday, January 24 in the Parish Hall. Please look for the box labeled "2025 Giving Statements" and locate the envelop with your name on it. Please be advised that statements will not be mailed unless specially requested. This will save on postage and the uncertainty of the postal system. 

Please call the church office at 334-262-1937 or email churchoffice@stjohnsmontgomery.org for more information.

St. John's will no longer send out offering envelopes due to low usage and the lack of cost effectiveness. We do have blank offering envelopes available at the church office if you wish to pick them up. If you have questions or concerns, please call 334.262.1937.

From December 18 through January 31, St. John’s will host Journey Boats, an installation of sculptures by Camilla Brunschwyler Armstrong. Using found and natural materials, these handcrafted vessels explore themes of movement, vulnerability, and faith—reminding us that, like boats upon the sea, we navigate the unpredictable currents of life together. The exhibit will be accompanied by a hands-on boat-building workshop to be scheduled in January. 

Your prayers are requested for the following parishioners:
Nancy Bradford, Phillip Brown, Rick Durden, Marla Foster, Dave Funk, Carolyn Fillmore, Emily Crump Johannes, Carma Marks, Richard McCrory, Pat McDonald, Eddie McDowell, Martha Collier Mosely, Cameron Napier, Bud Nason, Jerry Pickett, Elizabeth Potter, Shirley Price, Hawthorne Ramsey, Debbie Steindorff, Barbara Wallace, Stewart Wallace, Florence Young

Prayers are also requested for these friends: Gail Alsobrook, Mac Burton, John Ferguson, Bob Geddie, Roger Holliday, Stephanie Holmes, Josie Lee, Charles Lewis, Leslie Little, Nicole Lusk, Margaret Moore, Karen Pacheco, Pat Patterson, Ron Skoneki, Johnny Smith, Madera Spencer, Chandler Taylor, Connie Thomas, Katherine Weidner, Frank Winkler, Sharon Carney Wright

Pastoral Care Team for January: Virginia Banister, Martha Tyson, Ashley Hamlett, Britney Schremser, Kathleen Bradford, Laura Knapp

7:30 a.m.
Lector: Kathie Mangum
Usher/Greeter: Richard Anderson
Altar Guild: Brad & April Richardson

10:30 a.m.
Acolytes: Nancy Bradford, Will Evans Clark, Margie Anne Prescott, Sam Snyder
Altar Guild: Melissa Carter, Debbie Schremser

Lector and Intercessor: Ken Kline, Florence Tyson
Eucharistic Ministers: Virginia Banister, Betsy Cannon, Radney Ramsey 
Ushers/Greeters: Bill Eskridge, Mark Chappell, Bill Johnson, James Marshall
Flower Guild: Camille Cumuze, Deb Steindorff

Flower Delivery Team:Melissa Carter, Doris Ball, Linda Hutchinson
Videographer: Jim Cannon